T3 India

smartphones

Samsung makes a breakthrough with the mass production of the smallest mobile image sensor

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Samsung have pulled through yet again by introducing the industry’s first 0.64-micrometer-pixel image sensor, namely, the 50 megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1. This tiny sensor fosters the sleek designs of smartphones and is equipped with the latest technologies as described below.

The new Samsung ISOCELL JN1 consists of the industry’s smallest pixel size – that of 0.64 micrometers. The ISOCELL JN1 utilises the upgraded ISOCELL 2.0 technology that improve light sensitivity by around 16%. The JN1 also employs Samsung’s very own Tetrapixel feature: a four-to-one binning technology which, in essence, merges 4 adjacent 0.64µm pixels into one 1.28µm pixel thereby enhancing light sensitivity by a factor of 4 in order to deliver brighter 12.5MP photographs.

The ISOCELL JN1 also delivers a better dynamic range through the Smart-ISO feature which Is a technology ‘that changes the conversion gain’ based on the illumination in the place or environment being photographed. Additionally, this feature also does well in retaining details in shadows and highlights through its Low ISO mode and High ISO mode in brightly-lit and lowly-lit environments, respectively.

Samsung have stressed upon their desire to make the JN1 as versatile as possible. All the technologies are embedded in a small 1/2.76-inch optical format thus, enabling the JN1 to be compatible with existing 1/2.8-inch devices as well in which the JN1 can be used for the front facing cameras, ultra-wide or the telephoto lenses. It is also capable of capturing 4K videos at 60fps or Full HD videos at 240fps.

The ISOCELL JN1 also employs the Double Super PD tech for better auto-focussing capabilities which utilises twice the density of pixels (1/16) used for phase detection than the Super PD technology. This also enables ‘the same auto-focus performance even in environments with about 60-percent less illumination levels’. The smaller size of the sensor has the potential to reduce dimensions of the camera modules in smartphones as well.

“The new ISOCELL JN1 at 0.64μm will be able to equip tomorrow’s sleekest smartphones with ultra-high resolution mobile photographs,” said Duckhyun Chang, executive vice president of the sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “As we drive our commitment to innovation in pixel technologies, we will continue to bring a wide range of mobile image sensor offerings to the market.”

The Samsung ISOCELL JN1 is currently being mass produced. For more information please visit this page.

iQOO launches the ‘fully loaded’ Z3 smartphones

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iQOO have unveiled the all-new Z3 range of smartphone at very appealing and competitive prices, with all of the three variants being 5G-ready. These iQOO smartphones are designed to deliver a faster gaming experience through strong hardware specifications.

The iQOO Z3 phones are powered by the lates Qualcomm Snapdragon 780 5G octa-core processor, in which the main frequency of the prime core is upgraded to 2.8GHz from 2.4GHz. 5G bandwidths and processing loads are easily handled with the processor’s enhanced performance (as compared to the Snapdragon 765G) and the feature of ‘Extended RAM’ integrated into the Z3 5G smartphones as well. The Z3 comes in one 6GB RAM variant, and two other variants comprising an 8GB RAM. The former can sport an Extended RAM of only 1GB while the latter can sport an Extended RAM of 3GB.

To deliver an unparalleled gaming performance, the Z3 5G smartphones contain a Five-Later Liquid Cooling System which consists of a liquid cooling pipe, a 5814mm2 graphite layer sheet, cooling copper foil, thermal gel, and 6 temperature sensors. iQOO mentions that through this, the Z3 can ‘reduce core temperatire by 10 degrees when necessary’.

The iQOO Z3 5G is equipped with 6.58-inch LCD display (1080 x 2408) which delivers a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 180Hz. With a 64MP triple camera setup in the rear, the Z3 sports a 64MP f/1.79 main camera which is supported by a GW3 sensor, an 8MP lens which offers a 120-degree field-of-view, and a macro lens allowing 4cm closeup shots. Super Night Camera improves the sensitivity of the camera system in low light which is also enhanced with the intelligent EFB AF tracking mechanism – helping in videos as well.

Users can also make the most of the video shooting capabilities of the iQOO Z3, as it can capture 4K videos at 60fps in combination with ‘Movie Mode’ for 2.35:1 widescreen recording which also comes with multiple filters.

The iQOO Z3 5G sports a 4400mAh battery which can be quickly charged through the 55W FlashCharge tech. In addition to the 16MP front camera, the Z3 5G smartphones weigh just 185.5g and run on the Funtouch OS 11.1 Global which is built on Android 11.

The iQOO Z3 5G is priced at INR 19,990 for the 6GB+128GB variant, INR 20,990 for the 8GB+128 GB variant and INR 22,990 for the 8GB+256GB variant and will be available on Amazon and iQOO.com in two colour options- Ace Black and Cyber Blue.

Review: Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G

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Rarely do we see phone manufacturers battling out to flood the market with devices with features that are yet to be rolled out, yet 5G seems to be the buzzword in the smartphone market today. We don’t remember witnessing the same frenzy during 3G and 4G rollouts, but certainly, the smartphone landscape has changed considerably between then and now. Oppo Reno 5 Pro joins the crowd, promising powerful performance and power efficiency.

The Reno 5 Pro 5G has a beautiful design with what Oppo calls Reno Glow technique, which provides a textured glow to the phone’s back surface with better fingerprint resistance. The device is available in Starry Black and Astral Blue colours. The camera bump has a glossy finish. The volume rocker is on the left-hand side, with the power button on the right. The bottom accommodates the SIM tray, a microphone hole and the single speaker array. The device accepts two nano SIMs. Though the gradient and 3D curved glass design provide the device with a clean and beautiful appearance, it does not break any new ground in design. The device is light and comfortable to use, measuring 159.7 x 73.2 x 7.6mm and weighing 173g.

The phone uses a 3D borderless sense screen with curved corners and a punch-hole camera. The 16.6 cm Super AMOLED screen offers a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate, which appears dated in a phone that competes with the latest devices optimised for gaming. However, the Color OS 11.1 OS and the interface felt smooth and responsive. Face unlock was quite fast, but fingerprint took a little longer to unlock the phone. The screen reproduces DCI-P3 colour gamut and the device carries HD and HDR certifications from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.       

The Reno 5 Pro uses a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+, a high-end 7nm SoC for mid-priced devices supporting the latest features like 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and advanced AI performance. The chip uses four powerful ARM Cortex-A77 clocked at 2.6GHz and four high-efficiency 2GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The graphics is handled by a 9-core ARM Mali-G77 MP9 GPU, providing an above-average gaming performance. While gaming was smooth with great response, the position of the speaker disappointed in horizontal orientation. Most of the time, my right index finger obstructed the speaker grille and completely cut off the sound in the middle of the game, forcing me into an uncomfortable grip to let the sound out. The Game Centre offers a customisation option in the middle of a game if required.

One area where the Reno 5 Pro clearly excels is the 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging, which tops up the 4300mAh battery in just over half an hour. The device is available in a single configuration of 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM, which is not expandable.

The phone features a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide-angle and 2MP Macro cameras along with a 2MP monochrome camera. In most cases, the colours appeared natural. However, turning on AI scene enhancement rendered the images with too much saturation and sharpening. The wide-angle camera appeared less detailed than the main camera. 4K videos were largely fine, but the lack of optical zoom proved a spoiler. Night mode certainly lets you capture an image even in near-zero illumination, but the images cannot be compared with those captured under proper lighting. Dual view video employs both front and back camera simultaneously and is a welcome addition with various layout options to choose from.

The Oppo Reno 5 Pro is a fairly competitive device with a neat design and powerful hardware. The cameras do not disappoint either. We wish the device had stereo speakers and a bit of fine-tuning in image quality.

RATING

★★★★

WE’RE IMPRESSED Clean design, Responsive interface, Sure-fast charging

WE’D IMPROVE Speaker, Image quality

THE LAST WORD Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G is a powerful device at the mid-price segment, supporting the latest network standards. However, there is no unique feature in this device that we can point out to potential buyers.

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 releases on April 15!

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The ROG Phone series is bolstered with three variants of the ASUS ROG Phone 5: the ROG Phone 5, the ROG Phone 5 Pro, and the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. The phones are going to go on sale on April 15, 2021 and are poised to be the best and the strongest gaming smartphones out there.

First, let’s point out the common features in all three. The ROG Phone 5 series is powered by the mighty 2.84GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G which comprises a 5nm 64-bit octa-core processor, which is designed to provide sensational performance levels and handle heavy computing loads. With the Qualcomm Adreno 660 GPU, AeroActive Cooler 5 cooling tech, and the all-new performance manager in Armoury Create with the ‘X Mode’, the ROG Phone 5 has seriously upgraded gaming performance and speeds for enthusiasts.

More so, the ROG Phone 5 sports a 6.78 FHD+ AMOLED screen that offers a stunning refresh rate of  144Hz and a resolution of 2448×1080 at 395ppi. The screen offers a maximum brightness of 800 nits and a touch sampling rate of 300Hz with a 24.3ms touch latency. ASUS collaborated wt. Pixelworks for the display chip, which enables the ROG Phone 5 to offer visuals with an impressive Delta-E <1 colour accuracy. The display is also HDR10+ certified and is protected with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass Victus in the front.

The new ROG Phone 5 series comprises a tri-camera system in the rear with a 64MP Sony IMX686 1/1.7” sensor. The second and third cameras consist of a 13MP, 125-degree ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP Macro F/2.0 lens, respectively. The ROG Phone 5 also houses a 24MP front camera. The main camera is capable of capturing 8K and 4K footage at 30 and 60fps, respectively, while the second camera is also equipped to capture 4K but at 30fps.

For content consumers and gamers, ASUS knows the importance of audio to create a much more immersive experience. The ROG Phone 5 is equipped with a superior Dual 7-magnet Linear 12x16mm front-facing speakers with GameFX and DiracHD Sound.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Ultimate

For better gameplay, the ROG Phone 5 series comprises the massively-upgraded AirTrigger 5 control system. More so the ROG Phone 5 Pro and the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate also have innovatively hidden rear touch sensors on the back cover, which play the role of the L2/R2 triggers in consoles. The ROG Phone 5 also provides users with haptic feedback.

The ROG Phone 5 5G smartphones come with a 6000mAh battery and weigh just 238grams.

The ROG Phone 5 base model is available in two variants that offer an LPDDR5 RAM: an 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM and a 12GB+256GB, priced at Rs. 49,999 and Rs. 57,999. The base model also as a ROG (RGB light) logo on the back cover and the two variants are available in Phantom Black and Storm White (both glossy).

ASUS ROG Phone 5 (base)

The ROG Phone 5 Pro offers a 16GB LPDDR5 RAM with a storage of 512GB. It is available in the Phantom Black (glossy) colour and sports a back cover with a ‘ROG Vision – Color PMOLED display’. The ROG Phone 5 Pro is priced at Rs. 69,999.

The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate offers a massive 18GB LPDDR5 RAM with an internal storage space of 512GB. It’s back cover sports a ‘ROG Vision – monochrome PMOLED display’. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate is priced at Rs. 79,999.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 with Aero Active Cooler 5

In addition to the phone, charger, cable, user manual, and warranty cards, each smartphone’s box contains the following:

ROG Phone 5 (base model): ROG Aero Case, SIM Ejector Pin, ROG Sticker Set.

ROG Phone 5 Pro and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate: ROG Aero Case, SIM Ejector Pin, ROG Sticker Set, ROG AeroActive Cooler 5.

These astonishing smartphones will be available from noon on April 15, 2021 on Flipkart. For more information, please visit this page.

A compact, lightweight, and affordable smartphone gimbal-cum-selfie stick: Moza Nano SE

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The new Moza Nano SE can be considered a hybrid breed, one comprising of the makes of a game-changing selfie stick and that of a gimbal: all wrapped up into one. This, along with the product’s competitive pricing, does have the potential to attract a whole range of users who are enthusiastic to take a portable and foldable travel companion with them to shoot videos and more.

Designed for smartphone users who have a penchant to create videos while travelling, the Moza Nano SE is an extendable and foldable (when not in use) ‘selfie gimbal’ which weighs just 250 grams. Its design enables it to support smartphones which weigh up to 280 grams.

Impressively, the Nano SE is also controllable through a detachable Bluetooth remote which otherwise remains attached to the stem of the gimbal. The Nano SE also supports Wireless Dual Control and can be connected to the Moza Genie App.

To Nano SE can extend up to 27 inches and with three tiny legs provided at the bottom – it can also be used as a tripod, similar to those on its more-expensive range of gimbals. When it comes to switching between landscape and portrait modes, that interchangeability is made easier and quicker through the single press of a top button on the Nano SE.

The Moza Nano SE provides a battery life of 10 hours on a single charge and it comes in the Black and Green colour variants – with the Blue and Pink ones rolling out soon. In conclusion, the Moza Nano SE is a very impressive product, giving users the benefits of a gimbal, selfie stick and a tripod in one and is a great option for all sorts of creators out there – especially for the ones just starting out, which are increasing in number by the day.

The Moza Nano SE is priced at Rs. 4,990 but there are discounts available where the price is dropped down to Rs. 3,200.